Resource information
There is a growing recognition of
agriculture's potential to spur growth and reduce
poverty in Africa. Agriculture accounts for one-third of the
continent's gross domestic product (GDP), and
two-thirds of its citizens rely on the sector for their
incomes. Investments in agriculture will hence not only
improve productivity and the continent's ability to
feed a growing population, but will also lift families out
of poverty. Over 90 percent of sub-Saharan Africa's
extreme poor are engaged in agriculture, and growth
originating in the sector is 2-4 times more effective at
directly reducing poverty than growth originating in other
sectors. Yet agriculture in Africa has not fulfilled its
potential, suffering from a lack of investment and
insufficient attention from policy-makers. A key hindrance
to agricultural development and broader growth is a wide and
pervasive gender gap in agricultural productivity. Women
comprise nearly half of the labor force in Africa's
agriculture sector, and more than half in several countries,
but on the whole they produce less per hectare than men.
Existing evidence from small-scale studies across the
continent documents the numerous disadvantages that women
face in accessing the same resources, training, markets and
opportunities as men. They also face ingrained norms and
institutional barriers that further widen the gap. Tackling
the barriers that hold back the productivity of female
farmers could both enhance gender equality and usher in
broader economic growth. The African Union has declared 2014
to be the 'year of agriculture and food security',
bringing much needed attention to the sector's
potential to transform the continent. This is an opportunity
not only to revitalize the agriculture sector, but to rally
African governments and development organizations to commit
to concrete policy action to redress the inequalities within
the sector, and in so doing to reap greater rewards from
future investments.
